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Pile Burning Planned for North Rim of Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon, AZ – Fire managers on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park are making plans to burn piles of woody debris.

The piles consist of small tree branches, twigs, and needles that were removed during preparation of prescribed fire control lines. Pile burning is a necessary preparation for the implementation of up-coming prescribed fire projects on the North Rim.

Two separate pile burning projects are planned for this spring. The first project area is located east of Highway 67. It starts adjacent to the North Rim entrance station, runs up the North Rim lookout tower road, down a small portion of the Arizona Trail and then along Forest Service Road 610 which parallels the northern boundary of the park. It is expected that these piles will be ignited as weather conditions allow over the course of the next two to four weeks.

The second project area is located in Walla Valley along the W-1 and W-4 roads near the Kanabownitz Cabin. This project is currently being planned for mid-June.

All piles will be ignited and monitored by firefighters until they are completely out.

On the days that piles are ignited, visitors to the area may see smoke from Kaibab Lodge to the north or from the South Rim. Coordination with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is already underway.

Fire activities on the North Rim of the park and the North Kaibab Ranger District of Kaibab National Forest are planned and managed jointly by the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service, working together as the Interagency North Zone Fire Management Program.

For more information on these projects, please contact Dave Robinson, North Zone Fuels Specialist, at 928-643-8138.